A child splashes into the Kaiser Pool in 2008. Wausau has proposed upgrades to all three of the city's outdoor pools, starting with Kaiser in 2014.

Is it the hot weather? Is it the new amenities the pools have established? Something else, or all of the above?

Whatever explains it - and, as with most things, we doubt there is a single explanation - the fact is that attendance at the city of Wausau's pools has soared in recent years. In 2008, combined attendance at the city's three pools was 25,460. Last year, it was 35,929.

The outdoor pools are a city service that people are taking advantage of and one they value. The pools also happen to encourage exercise and healthy lifestyles in a way that has a social value. And the city has done all that despite serious infrastructure problems with the decades-old pools.

It was that trend, as well as the trend of decreasing costs to operate the pools in the same period, that led the Daily Herald Media Editorial Board last year to argue that the city should make renovations of the pools a priority. Wausau residents have made it clear through their attendance that it is a service they value.

Last week, the city's Parks and Recreation Committee approved a plan that would remake all three city pools, beginning in 2014 with the Kaiser Pool on the northeast side.

They are needed renovations and we hope the City Council approves the plan so that it can proceed.

It's not just infrastructure that needs upgrading, though that probably is the key factor. The cost for each pool remodel under the plan would be about $2.5 million and would provide for new locker rooms, a snack bar, slides into the water and shaded areas for those who need to avoid getting burned to a crisp.

It's an ambitious plan but not an extravagant one, and a reasonable use of city money to meet a public need. In fact, the plans presented by Parks Department Director Bill Duncanson would attract more interest in the pools and more participation, and would - we hope and expect - help to continue the pools' upward swing.

In the long term, there is no plausible way for the city to continue to operate the pools it has without upgrading their crumbling infrastructure. And given the public support, no one wants to see the pools close.

That means the best option is to renovate. The plan approved by the Parks and Recreation Committee provides a good way forward, and we hope the full council will agree and approve it in next year's budget.